Judge Gives Youth Rehabilitation Orders to Three Teenagers Convicted of Rape

A judge at Southampton Crown Court on Thursday sentenced three teenage boys to youth rehabilitation orders for their roles in the rape of two girls in separate attacks in Fordingbridge, Hampshire. Two of the boys, aged 15, also received intensive supervision and surveillance orders.

The judge said he chose the orders to avoid criminalising the boys, who were 14 and 15 at the time of the offences. The assaults occurred in 2024 and 2025. Prosecutors said the attacks were filmed on phones and that the boys laughed, encouraged each other, and later shared footage online.

The first victim, aged 15, was raped three times in an underpass by the River Avon after meeting one boy through Snapchat. Two other boys then appeared. The second victim described suffering nightmares, anxiety, and difficulty attending school.

Rowland told the boys that none of them needed to go to prison. He described the crimes as serious and noted that the filming made them more serious. He also emphasised the defendants' young ages when deciding against custodial sentences.

Office minister Jess Phillips said the sentences were unduly lenient and sent a bad message. She stated that the boys appeared to have been raping for content to share on social media. Phillips added that social media companies had been allowed to experiment on young people for about ten years and that very little had been done to assess the effects of violent pornography.

The two victims provided impact statements to the court. " The judge praised the girls for their bravery in giving evidence.